How do you determine how much carpet you need?

Measure an area for carpet by calculating the square footage that needs to be covered, then comparing those numbers to the size of the roll of your desired carpet. In most cases, you need to purchase more carpet than the square footage measurements call for because of the carpet manufacturing process.

Carpet comes in 12-foot, 13.5-foot and 15-foot rolls, which means you are likely to have some waste left over in a smaller room. If your room is larger than the width of your carpet roll, you must piece different lengths of the carpet together. When measuring an area with an irregular shape, use the measurement that reflects the widest point. Tack on an additional 5 percent to your square footage calculations to ensure that you purchase enough carpeting.

Carpet nap lies in a specific direction, which means you cannot patch in random spare pieces of carpet and still maintain a uniform look in an area. You may often have to purchase more carpet to create a seamless look.

Measuring carpeting for stairs depends on the type of stairs you have and whether or not you want to cover the sides of the stairs as opposed to just the top.